This invention relates to a mechanical simulator for the sports activity of surfing. The sports activity of board surfing requires a great deal of balance. Typically, one of the most difficult aspects of the sport is to quickly go from a prone paddling position on the surfboard to an upright standing position. In the water, a surfboard has a limited stability that is generated by the forward motion of the board in the water under influence of one or more fins on the underside of the surfboard. In order to construct a simulator device that closely approximates the stability of the board, provision must be made for a difference in the stability in the fore and aft direction compared with the starboard and port, or side-to-side direction.
Although certain electro-mechanical arcade systems have been developed to generate a simulated activity of surfing using audio and visual aids in addition to dynamic motion, these devices are extremely expensive and actively generate motion in the board that is coordinated with a visual screen showing an ocean wave scene. These devices are largely used for entertainment and not for training.
The mechanical simulator device of this invention is a training device designed for both the beginning surfer and the experienced surfer. The beginning surfer must develop the balance necessary to stand on an unstable surfboard. The mechanical training device will provide him with the repetitive experience of standing on the board. This developed experience on land greatly shortens the time taken to acquire this experience in the water under actual conditions. Similarly, the mechanical simulator device is devised to maintain the skills of intermediate and advanced surfers, particularly during periods when the actual surfing experience is not available.
Surfing is a sport that requires both endurance and agility. A typical outing lasts between one and three hours. During this period of time, substantial energy is expended in positioning the surfer at the appropriate place in the water to optimally catch waves. Of the time spent surfing, only a small fraction involves the rapid paddling in front of a potential wave and the motion of going from the prone paddling position to the standing, wave riding position. Furthermore, even if the surfer is successful in the transition from the prone position to the standing position, a period of time in which he can maintain his balance and "ride the wave" is brief. Often, the duration of the ride for the beginner surfer is simply the time between the surfer arriving at an out-of-balance standing position, to the time that his lack of balance causes a fall. In this situation, the surfer has not yet caught his balance. The time between being in balanced control in a prone position and balanced control in a standing position is a brief, but critical period of time. It is this critical time period that is most difficult for a beginner surfer to master. The simulator device of this invention enables the surfer to experience this action over and over until he or she becomes comfortable with the action and can duplicate the experience under real conditions in the water.